s**t Customer service from Westfield

[James]

I am truely sad that I am writting this because over the years I have been a strong supporter of Westfield but I feel strongly that people should be aware of how difficult Westfield have become to deal with and how the product that they supplied me simply didnt do what was promised.

I would also request that this post is NOT deleted by the powers that be just because Westfield may be embaresd by there lack of customer care, other owners deserve to know what they are getting themselves into when purchasing products from this company and the WSCC has no offical afiliation with Westfield Sportscars Ltd and therefore should remain impartial.

My tale starts when I was at home recovering from an operation, I was in bed bored and my thought turned to the car I decided to purchase a Dash2 from Westfield and when I purchased this I was told that it was PLUG & PLAY and that it would use all of the original sensors on the car, I had also been looking at the ETB Digidash as well and the reason I went for the Dash2 was in a large part because I wouldent have to mess around fitting new sensors and wirring into the car.

a few day's latter after reading some horror story's on a couple of boardroom's about the Dash2 I rang up again and double checked that it was "PLUG & PLAY" and it would wire straight in I was again told yes it would just work out of the box.

So said Dash2 arrives and I cant wait to go home and start to fit it, after I have it all wirred in and fire the car up all seem's to be o.k  but on my first brief drive I notice that the Speedo isnt working, I phone up Westfield and eventually (after many atempts) get through to Mark Walker BUT only because I asked Dave in parts to put me through, you NEVER seem to get through to technical on the phone it rings and the goes dead. Mark tell's me that the Dash2 wont work with the standard VDO speed sensor and that I need to purchase a dedicated speed sensor which will be £56.00 please.

I annoyingly purcahse the sensor because at this point I just want the Dash2 to work, when it arrives it has NO instruction at all there are three wires but I have no idea where they go after talking to a fellow member on here he points me in the direction of where the wires go.

Second drive and the first real drive of the car other than 1/2 a mile down the road to find out it's not completley working, I notice some very strange read outs the water tempreture before the car is even turned on is in the -12 area its not too bad at running tempreture but every where else the information is dubious, ontop of this when the car is running at around 84/85 the tempreture would suddenly change to 102 in the blink of an eye and the warring alarms would go off, I had the same problem with the oil preasure but in the oposite direction it would go low and again warning alarms would go off!

The other little tricks it was doing was the top bar on the rev counter would suddenly spike at max revs and all of the led shift lights would flash at you (a regular disco is car! and this wass all happening every two seconds) and the battery warning light comes on dimly when the revs are higher than 1200 RPM, at tick over it goes out.

I try and try and try to get hold of Westfield Technical but they NEVER answer there phones and calling customers back seem's to be impossibly hard for them, so I go looking for answers on both our boardroom and the Race Technology website, which I eventually get and it seem's that NONE of the calibration for the Dash2 has been done correctly which is why I have these problems I am told by Race Tecnology that with the Battery Warning light I need to put another resistor into the wirring "try these" I am told but this is beyond my electrical skill's and I choose not to do this.

So after after thinking about the situation for a while and eventually feel that driving the car with all of this happening just winds me up I finaly decide that this system is far from "PLUG & PLAY" and I return the unit to Westfield for a refund as it obviuosly dosnt do what they said it would. the unit is sent to Ract Technology for testing I have to wait for almost two weeks for this because I am told no one has had the time to look at it, eventually after many phone calls from me and none retuned I am told that no faults are found and I am then told that Westfield have a new calibartion file for the Dash2 and would I like to try that?

My answer is no as in my opinion all of this should have been done in advance of the product being sold by Westfield the person I am talikng to does say that "the calbration file wasnt so much of a bodge but it wasnt correct in a number of areas" Mmm nicley thought out then.

I ask for a refund for the dash by letter personaly addresed to Jullian Turner My letter then gets handed down to someone else to deal without Jullians involvement. I am promised various phone calls at various times none of which ever happen! I eventually do get a refund from Westfield for the original items supplied BUT I also ask what about the new Carbon Dash which had the Dash2 fitted to it and now has lot's of holes in the wrong places? I am told after a number of day's that they cannot offer me monetry compensation for this loss but do I require anything from the factory "Yes I do " 2 new front cycle wings as it happens retail £165 my Dash £150 so I say give me those I will send you the Carbon dash which you can use in one of your race cars, "leave it with me I will call you latter today and let you know if this is o.k" no phone call this is Tuesday, no phone call on Wednesday so I phone on Thursday and I am told that the person I need is busy but he will ring you back when he's free guess what? yep no phone call so I call Today Friday and I am told that Westfield cannot be held liable for the carbon dash as it was not a part supplied by them and I also shouldent have recived a refund for the original parts because acording to there terms and conditions of sale (which are on the back of the invoice and there fore only available for you once the goods arrive and you have already purchased them!" they will only give refunds IF the parts are retuned within 14 day's and that according to these terms and conditions Westfield cannot be held liable for any consiquental loss for items supllied by a third party.

Now I am in retail and if I treated my customers like this I wouldnt have any f**king customers! in just over a Month of my retuning the parts to them I have had a total of TWO phonecalls retuned I was NEVER able to get through to Technial and I have wasted a huge proprtaion of my time chassing this with Westfield, I have seen a difrence with the company since being taken over from the Smith family but I for one am VERY VERY VERY unhappy with the company and the way I have been treated, I am giving very real concideration to selling my car and buying a Caterham, ive alway's wanted one and now seems to be the right time for me, I have always been a great suporter of Westfield but no longer, I feel another company deserves my loyalty and money.

I am not giving up on this and I have been forced by Westfield to take this matter to county court in order for my finacial loss finacial to be looked at But I think its a shame that Westfield did not see the benefit in my sugested compromise and are being so awkward.

[Cleggy the Spyder Man]

Coinsidence that this has just been posted up!

I have just tried to order a some parts from the stores and the phone just rang and rang and rang ... commercial suicide i think they call it ... to top that off I tried to order online but gave up as there was a problem with checkout ... so I will get my parts from other sources

maybe they justy wanna sell new cars and not parts ...lol does that make any sense ... if that is the case why not farm out the parts side of the business

[Club Chairman (Reserve)]

James

I can assure you that your post will not be deleted, the WSCC is independent from all commercial companies which includes WSC Ltd.

It is very sad to hear such reports of dissatisfaction from any company that advertises within the club magazine and has some connection to the WSCC however close or distant.

Please be assured that the committee have on many times met with the WSC Ltd management and have highlighted various comments made by WSCC members with regard to customer complaints procedure.

WSC Ltd have requested that all complaints be directed to themselves rather than via this boardroom, which is apparently what you have already undertaken. WSC Ltd have their own customer complaints procedures which they prefer to use raher than public statements being made here or via the WSCC

It is hoped that your situation is resolved for all concerned to ensure a satisfied customer for WSC Ltd.

Sorry but the WSCC does not have any involvement with the manner or system in which customer care and relationships are undertaken by WSC Ltd

[Thrustyjust]

Westmetal has just sold his new factory car as was a pile of crap. Went back after a few months for issues, which took ages to sort, because nothing is made by the factory anymore ( bodywork) He got it back, still not right, so sold it as lost complete faith in the product. Shame as when the Smiths were there, the buisness had that customer service to people. I have a friend wanting to build a seven and can honestly say, will not be pointing them in the Dudley direction and Westmetal is looking to build his own car again, but another manufacturer, who isn't grabbing of £30k it cost Westfield to build a car badly.

[stephenh]

James, I am truly sorry you've had such bad experience and lack of service from the factory. I have a Dash2 supplied and fitted by Westfield, and can honestly say that the only trouble I have had was the rev counter "spiking" momentarily occasionally, which has been discussed elsewhere on this boardroom. When they are working right they are an excellent bit of kit, so much easier to read quickly, particularly the speedo and rev counter. And of course much neater.

Regarding the spiking on the revs, that is supposed to be cured by the updated calibration file you refer to, which I mentioned elsewhere on this board. I dont yet know if it works, I haven't had my car for several weeks.

Unfortunately, Westfield in their wisdom, have changed the software in the Dash2 from the standard Race Technologies software. The reason I think is so that Westfield owners wanting to upgrade can fit the Dash2 to run of the VDO sensors which most factory built and modular built cars are supplied with. I believe if you buy the same product elsewhere, eg Demon Thieves, it is not calibrated to use the VDO sensors so would presumably need a complete set of new sensors. It looks as if the changes made by the factory have not been satisfactory.    

I say again, I'm really sorry for you. No Westfield owner should be treated like that. It seems they are sometimes selling products which are not of merchantable quality, or are not fit for purpose, and dont seem willing to admit it and to compensate those owners affected.

[Barry Ashcroft]

They put there terms & conditions on the invoice but the sale of goods act overrides any terms the factory puts in place.

And in the case of merchantable quality 14 days is really Irrelevant.

It's a sorry state to read all this disatisfaction but I could see it coming a mile off and sold up pretty sharpish.

[Johnson]

I have been on the receiving end of some crap service the past two weeks too.

I have also been told that the Dash2 was originally meant to only be fitted to Duratec and Sigma engined cars!!

Why sell me one then when I bought a BEC kit from them?

My dash does some odd things too and the calibration files are way off too. Thanks to some good help from a couple of members on here I think I have the calibration files sorted.

Race Technology are not much better themselves TBH,I called their Tech Dept re my dash issues and also to talk about Data Logging equipment which we are looking to purchase for the Company I work for, Guess what no email.

They obviously do not need the business either.

More to add but not got time at them moment.

James I will PM you later too.

[Martin Keene]

Care to tell all the people still pi***ng around with resistors to get their calibration right, how easy the ETB was James...

[effinG]

Probs here too.

I ordered 2 CV joints on 23rd March.  Initial order was online.  When I phoned a week or so later I was told that it hadn't gone through properly, so gave my card details over phone.  Still heard nothing until 16th April when I phoned to chase and was told they were out of stock, and had coincidentally arrived in stock the day I phoned, and would be dispatched immediately.  They arrived today! Nearly 1 month later.

My 1st ever order from Westfield and not a good experience I must say.  Missed at least 10 blats due to delay!!!

[Cleggy the Spyder Man]

I could see myself spending thousands with Westfield over the next few years --- so strange they make it so difficult for you to spend your money with them  

Come on guys sort it out - we are all sitting here thinking

a. you dont give a toss about answering the phone

b. you are so under staffed that there just are not enough hours in the day

I don't know but I sorta assume that the parts side of the business could be incredibly profitable and if everything was professionally done (phones answered etc - website improved to reduce number of incoming calls) your parts sales would double/triple ...

Be really interesting to hear some of the stores/parts/sales teams thoughts about what is going on - they must read what is being said - I wonder how they are feeling about it all  

At our place we have a 4 ring rule - and i would say 95% of the time that is adhered too -

[RedditchJay]

its not good..... I got to the satge when I want something I treck to the parts dept at Westfield and buy it over the counter..... shouldnt have to but some parts I want to keep as Westfield original.....

[Cleggy the Spyder Man]

hows the service over the counter?

[scott beeland]

I wouldn't want to be a Turner at Stoneleigh I don't think

[bo selecta]

For my two penith,i think the powers that be are only interested in these new euro cars,and two page spreads in the local papers!!

[Chris Elworthy]

Note to WSC

Many prospective Kit buyers check out the club forums before making their choice of kit.

I certainly did back in 1999 (cue Hovis ad music) and it swung it for me, that and the welcome at the factory by CS personally.

If I was researching a new kit now and came across this feedback I do not need to tell you how it would affect my decision,     or do I?

C'mon WSC, we want to love you again